Arthur's mind went blank; faced with a strike as devastating as a natural disaster, he forgot even to dodge.
"Young Lord! Dodge!"
"Protect the Young Lord!"
The elite guards around him, after a moment of shock, erupted with astonishing courage and loyalty.
They chose not to flee; instead, roaring, they spurred their warhorses and charged straight at the massive boulder, trying with their own flesh and blood to win Arthur even the slightest chance of survival.
Boom—!!
The boulder struck the ground.
The sound it produced was heavier, more heart-shaking than any explosion before.
The earth trembled violently.
The dozen knights at the front were, men and horses together, ground into paste the instant they touched the rock.
Fine armor, majestic steeds, powerful auras—all meant nothing before such pure, ultimate violence.
The boulder's momentum undiminished, it kept rolling forward.
A few more riders, unable to dodge in time, were swept up, their brief, shrill screams cut short.
When the rock finally stopped, a ghastly trench scarred the ground and a gory mash was all that remained.
Arthur Merlin had survived by sheer luck.
At the last instant his warhorse instinctively sidestepped a few paces, narrowly avoiding the boulder's direct impact.
Yet the terrifying shockwave still hurled him through the air; he crashed to the earth and tumbled several times before coming to rest.
"Cough… ugh!"
Arthur struggled to his knees and spat a mouthful of blood.
His organs felt displaced, every bone in his body on the verge of falling apart.
Ignoring his injuries, he jerked his head up to look for his guards.
Only moments earlier dozens of elite knights had ridden behind him; now barely a handful remained, all wounded, their steeds down and whimpering.
The rest were unrecognizable pulp.
"Aaaaargh—!!"
At the sight Arthur let out a beast-like roar.
His eyes bloodshot, reason was swallowed by boundless fury and hate.
They were brothers raised and trained with him since childhood, utterly loyal!
Now they were dead!
All from that monster's casual blow!
"I'll kill you!!"
Arthur flung away his warped lance, drew the long knight's sword at his waist, and rushed Wu Liang like a madman.
Wu Liang stood in place, watching coldly.
Heaving the boulder had cost him stamina; his chest rose and fell as he regulated his breathing.
Seeing Arthur charge, a trace of contempt curled on his lips.
A fool who couldn't even control his emotions dared call himself an opponent?
"Good—saves me the trouble of finding you."
Wu Liang rolled his neck, joints popping like firecrackers.
Instead of retreating he strode forward to meet Arthur.
The distance between them vanished rapidly.
"Die!"
Arthur leapt high, gripping his sword in both hands, channeling every shred of remaining aura into a downward slash at Wu Liang's head!
White light blazed along the blade, ripping the air with a piercing whistle.
This strike staked everything he had.
Facing the fierce attack, Wu Liang's response was simplicity itself.
He raised his right hand.
Bare-handed he met the long sword infused with a high-rank knight's full power.
Clang—!
A crisp metallic ring echoed across the battlefield.
Arthur's sword was caught and held fast in Wu Liang's grip.
The keen edge hovered less than three inches from Wu Liang's forehead, unable to advance another bit.
The violent aura raging along the blade surged against Wu Liang's palm but vanished like mud into the sea, raising not even a ripple.
"What?!"
Arthur's eyes bulged like bronze bells.
He could not believe what he saw.
Caught… bare-handed his all-out strike?
Impossible!
Even the hardest enchanted metal couldn't stop that blow unscathed!
He looked down: Wu Liang's palm did not even bear a scratch.
"That all your strength?"
Wu Liang mocked, studying Arthur's stunned face.
"Not enough to scratch an itch."
The words had barely left his mouth when Wu Liang clenched the blade and twisted.
Crack… crack…
A grating sound of tortured metal rang out.
The finely forged knight's long sword twisted in his grip like a dough strand, snapping into shards!
"Ugh!"
Arthur, weapon and spirit linked, was badly injured by its destruction; blood burst from his mouth again.
Wu Liang gave him no chance to breathe.
As the sword crumbled he released it and stepped forward.
A simple straight punch slammed into Arthur's chest.
The blow was lightning-fast!
Arthur had no time to react; he could only watch the fist enlarge in his vision.
Thud—!!
A dull, heavy impact.
Arthur's ornate Griffon-knight armor shattered outright!
Countless metal fragments shot in all directions.
His body flew like a broken sack, arced through the air, and crashed to the ground more than ten meters away.
"Gah—!"
He lay curled like a shrimp, gouts of blood mixed with bits of organ gushing from his mouth.
His breastbone had completely caved in.
Were it not for a high-rank knight's hardy constitution, that punch would have killed him.
"Young Lord!"
The few surviving guards, seeing this, eyes tearing, rushed forward regardless of danger and planted themselves in front of Arthur.
"Quick—get the Young Lord out!"
"We'll hold him!"
They knew full well they were no match for the monster; stepping forward meant death.
But their duty was to protect Arthur with their lives.
Wu Liang regarded the fearless knights with irritation.
Annoying flies.
He prepared to swat them dead in one sweep.
At that moment rapid hoofbeats sounded in the distance.
Akomann had led the Ember Fire Legion to finish off the remnants of the Mage Corps, punch through the imperial infantry line, and was galloping this way.
Wu Liang glanced at Arthur, lying motionless, then at the commander's banner of Taiwen Merlin in the distance.
He gave up the idea of a finishing blow.
Killing this idiot would feel good.
But leaving him alive to watch his father and army perish step by step would be sweeter torment.
Besides, he had more important things to do.
Ignoring the flies, Wu Liang turned and strode toward the imperial army's main line.
The guards stared at his departing back, stunned.
He… spared us?
Without time to wonder, they hoisted the unconscious Arthur and fled in disarray.
The duel ended in a way no one had foreseen.
The strongest of the Roland Empire's younger generation, future heir to Tiee Fortress—Arthur Merlin—was utterly defeated.
He had not even managed to wound his foe.
When news reached the imperial ranks, every soldier's morale sank to rock bottom.
Even Lord Arthur has lost… can we still win?